The Lost Ones
by Kanokirri
Summary: Sequel to SOTB, continuing immediately after. Someone from Kitana's past wants revenge, someone she doesn't even know. This enemy leads her to shocking discoveries about herself and possibly her future. I'm Back!
1. Prologue: It started in the past

The Lost Ones

A/N: Welcome to the sequel of Secrets of the Blood, written because I am still completely insane no matter what people try to do against that. It will just never change. The events in this story are going to be a bit skewed starting in one place and then doing a follow up immediately after SOTB. Then they are going to jump back to somewhere in the past because I said so. Also because I said so, this will NOT be a crossover as I had thought it would be in Secrets if the Blood since that one chose not to be.

Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own Drizzt, Artemis Entreri, Jarlaxle, Kimmuriel or anyone else you recognize as not mine. Differentiations will be made. The poem here is my own original work.

Warning: This story is likely to contain the following: Violence, violent ideas, explicit content, religion bashing, blood letting and a bunch of other stuff that goes along the same lines. Anyway, if you don't like any of these things I politely advise you to not read this. If you choose to continue, it was your own freely made choice. Thank you, have a very good day and don't yell at me if I wrote something you didn't like.

* * *

Prologue: _It started in the past..._

_I see faces in brilliantly lit shadows.__  
Reaching hands grasp out of the darkness and into  
the flesh of those gone again._

_A clawed hand traces my face in blasphemous touch.__  
The one without a face comes closer and  
the others fall away._

_A silent cry from someone else echoes within  
a sealed bottle.  
Was it you?_

_The one who left me here?_

_Every time I look at someone,  
they never look the same.  
They all look the same to me._

_Faces without names._

_And so they change all at once...  
While I remain sitting in the past,  
my face is made of glass._

_How much time has past?  
Not a single call; nothing at all.  
There is nothing left of me.  
_

_Nothing but a faded memory._

_And you too, have changed.  
You are not the same.  
And yet here I have remained.  
_

_Waiting to see your face again..._

_I don't mind the time,  
but everything has its loss; your face is gone.  
Burned away by a monster._

_No not burned, painted away.  
A face is not a face  
if it is a mask._

_The paint is a bloodstain,  
ruining pure white.  
Your face is different now._

_Will you keep your name?_

_I see your face as if torn apart.  
A lie from the start,  
but I don't have the heart to tell you._

_What is there to say anyway?  
It can never be the same.  
My face may be made of glass but you cannot see through me._

_You cannot see through me,  
your face is my mirror.  
Only, I can see what is inside._

_Lies. Lies. Lies..._


	2. Chapter 1: Faces

11/12/09

Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own Drizzt and co. They are the undisputed property of R.A. Salvatore and Wizards of the Coast. I make no profit off of this story other than having something to do with my time. My own characters will be claimed and differentiated in due time, provided that you have read SOTB you should know them already anyway.

Warning: This story likely includes the following: Violence, violent ideas, explicit content, foul language, religion bashing etc. If you do not like or approve of these please stop reading now or continue at your own risk of displeasure. Thank you have a nice day.

* * *

Chapter One: Faces

_"Have I found you..."_ The faintly glowing figure whispered to the face that now filled her crystal ball. She looked exactly as the figure remembered. The one who had betrayed her was sleeping as was sometimes required, albeit rarely, for even one of her race. The figure sensed that some changes had occurred within the energies of her enemy. She seemed more powerful than before, far more distant. How long had passed since her eyes had come to lay upon that face? A century? The figure's form shimmered briefly and she smiled at her sleeping foe. "_I have found you..."_ she answered herself still not speaking above her low tone. And so now her plan could begin. In her translucent hand she held out a small bag of herbs that let out a faintly decayed smell. Not caring for the potential waste within the contents she chanted softly, her rhythm and tempo increasing and decreasing at regular intervals. The figure drew a circle around her seeing orb in the air, gently letting her herbs fall. The sleeping figure in the crystal shifted in her bed as the chant found its way to her sensitive ears.

_"Lost one, lost one, you must return."_ The figure whispered slowly. _"Return to the lost land of the blood, you are needed. Come now, you must join the others."_ The sleeping person turned over again showing no signs that she had heard a thing but the figure knew that it would only be a matter of time. Time was something that she and her enemy had a lot of after all, being so long lived. The figure was confident that she would have her way. Her enemy would come to her.

The figure's form shimmered again, had anyone been around to watch they would have taken it as a gesture of her glee. She was indeed pleased, so much time had passed and now her opportunity was before her. She had tried before to dispose of her foe only to have those attempts fail when her assassins fell. She would do it herself this time. She laughed as she considered those around her enemy, the one she favored as a companion would have to be taken care of as well. He was to dangerous to her cause to remain alive.

The figure laughed again. _"Yes, I have you." _Behind her another orb glowed with an eerie orange-ish light.

* * *

Kitana tossed and turned in the bed. An image of a strange woman haunted her vision that was just a bit blurred around the edges. "I'm dreaming." she told herself, trying to relax and make sense of things. The strange woman before her turned and ran ahead of her into a thick forest of some kind, the foliage blotted out most of her slight form. She had nothing to do but run after her. Who was this woman, she wondered. What does she have to do with me?

The woman let out a shrill scream and bounded off a high cliff edge and into a deep, black-watered lake. Her voice echoed through the terrain of the dream. _"Lost one, lost one, you must return. Return to the lost land of the blood, you are needed. Come now, you must join the others."_

Kitana sat up retching herself awake. Nothing like this had ever happened before. What did it mean? The demoness shook the thoughts out of her head, she was just being paranoid. She had not been back in her proper body for long and this was just a side effect of the change from being human for so long. At least, that was what she told herself. She shrugged off the feeling telling herself that the theory made perfect sense, that she really had nothing to worry about.

She looked around the room which she had procured for herself this night. Kitana recalled that she had told the others that she wanted to sleep alone. Perhaps that was also why she was having the strange dream, Artemis wasn't with her. He had kept her other dreams at bay before. The demoness shook her head again, she was just being paranoid.

* * *

_Three days ago_

The two friends stared at each other for a few moments as Kitana agreed to go downstairs for a drink as Hitori had requested. The others still sat at the table where Jarlaxle had left them. Drizzt and Kimmuriel both looked from Kitana to Hitori and then to Jarlaxle in question but no one gave anything away. Once their drinks were in front of them, Kitana chose to press the issue once more.

"Hitori." she said calmly. "Why else are you here? You're nervous about something I can smell it."

The half drow stared down at the table feeling a bit defeated. For the first time in many years he had forgotten that Kitana was able to easily sense certain things that other people couldn't. "I was attacked two days ago." he finally stated quietly. "Two human males tried to jump me in an alley not far from here. They said they were looking for you and that I was in the way of their mistress. I don't know what they wanted. I came here to warn you at first but you just looked so happy I didn't think I should-"

"Ruin it?" Kitana finished softly for him. "Hitori, you're not ruining anything. I do tend to like things more when I know what's going on around me. Do you know anything else about the guys who attacked you?"

Hitori shook his head. "No, I caught maybe a brief glimpse of an insignia but I can't be sure. They looked rich though and they wore the same uniform so I think they were part of a guild."

Kitana nodded her agreement. The half drow's reasoning was sound. "Why don't you stay with us then? If they attacked you once and failed then they will likely try again. We just wont let you go alone anywhere. What do you think of that?" Kitana asked turning to the others. They each nodded their assent and Hitori thanked them all graciously. He didn't admit that he had a bad feeling about who was after him.

Three days later the companions were sitting at the same table drinking again for the sake of having something to do. Things had been greatly slowed down at this hour and most of the inn's occupants had gone off to bed. Over the last couple of hours a few wayward travelers wandered into the inn with hopes of finding a spare room for the night at a decent fee.

Drizzt shifted uneasily in his chair trying not to stare too much at the assassin who sat across from him. He knew he could never have Entreri, the assassin was completely smitten with Kitana regardless of whether or not he actually wanted to admit it. The drow ranger knew that he could never admit his own feelings for the assassin. As he downed the last of the thick honey mead in the mug his gaze shifted to another person he had taken recent interest in at the table. The half drow's deep blue eyes met his staring with more than a little returned interest. For a moment he wondered what Hitori's skin would feel like against his. He had never really met a half drow before and he found Hitori's slightly lighter than his skin fascinating. And his eyes...the half drow's eyes were deep pools of glittering sapphire that seemed to know everything he was feeling as well as holding their own wellspring of secrets. Did Hitori know what he was thinking? Drizzt hoped not. He still had no idea what to do about his obstinate feelings for Entreri.

After a while he chose to stop drinking. The others had stopped maybe half an hour before and he knew he really needed to sober up. Drizzt looked up when he thought he heard a familiar voice at the bar. Footsteps came lightly towards him and then stopped at his side. His face turned noticeably ashen, even with its dark coloration.

"Drizzt?" A lively woman's voice said from next to him, accented with more than a little dwarven. He turned to face the person he had been trying to hide from for months. How had she found him here?

"Catti-brie." he replied simply. His dry tone surprised his companions who had assumed that the two friends were lovers. Apparently they were lacking in certain judgment abilities. He had sounded almost irate and uncaring, dejected. "What are you doing here?"

The red haired woman shrugged absently. "We've business in Longsaddle. Harkle requested our company for some of his family members who're going South." She tried to sound as pleasant as possible but she could not hide her surprise that her dearest friend was in the presence of those who had tried to kill him several times before, and was drinking with them. Catti-brie wondered what this could all mean. Had Drizzt joined in with Entreri and Jarlaxle? Or maybe it was that the other two had chosen to give up their previous ways and join him. Either way sounded completely impossible to Catti-brie. So why were they here? There was only one way to know for sure. "And yerself?" she asked after her few moments of close examination.

"We were just passing through." The ranger's voice was sedate, almost distant. It was as if he were remembering something terribly unpleasant that was disturbing him. Entreri, Jarlaxle and Kimmuriel stared curiously at him remembering the night they had found him in the woods near Mithral Hall. Had she had something to do with that? Drizzt had never told them what had happened. What was more surprising was that when the woman placed her hand on his shoulder, he flinched.

Catti-brie also noted his unusual reaction. "What's wrong?" she asked, obviously concerned, which seemed to make the ranger even more uneasy. For Drizzt, the entire situation had come from his nightmares. He had hoped to never see her or Wulfgar, or even their other friends ever again. Not after what happened, he would never forget that night. The whole thing was leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "Ye look ill." she continued. "Maybe you should come and get some fresh air." Drizzt knew the request for what it really was. She wanted to talk to him alone, without any interference from the others at the table all of which she did not trust. She didn't bother questioning about the others aside from those she knew. For all she cared, they were there with Entreri and Jarlaxle and that was all she needed to mark them as bad company. The drow didn't really want to go with the woman but felt he had no choice. Catti-brie was Catti-brie after all, nothing could change the fact that to everyone in Waterdeep they were very close friends and it would look suspicious if he did not go with his friend that was trying to take care of him.

Though he was reluctant, he followed her outside to the darkened alley between the inn and the building next to it. He watched with dread as Catti-brie, the woman he once loved, stepped forward and placed her hands gently on his cheeks. Drizzt tried to swallow his budding anger. He would have given anything to have this before. To have her all to himself, no one else around to disturb them, their bodies tenderly touching. But not anymore. Not after what happened. His mouth filled with bile as her lips neared his, he was unresponsive as they met. Catti-brie pulled away from him incredulously.

"There really is something wrong, isn't there?" she asked. Her face revealed that she felt like crying because he hadn't returned her affectionate gesture. "Please tell me, me friend." Catti-brie tried again to pull him to her but Drizzt pulled away letting his anger show.

"Stop it!" the drow demanded. "Just stop it now!"

Silver lines made their way down Catti-brie's face, a brief sparkle in the moonlight. "What- what are you talking about?" Rarely did he even think about raising his voice to her. Rarer still did he actually do it.

"Stop playing games with me!" Drizzt replied, his face was not calm anymore. "I know what you are doing. You've come back to me because he did something you didn't like. But once you get tired of me, you'll be back to him and then it will start all over again. Don't think I haven't noticed, you've been doing this for years!"

"What are you talking about?" Catti-brie cried. She knew what he was talking about, knew it was true. She just didn't want to admit it. But nothing, _nothing_, had happened between her and Wulfgar since that single night four months ago. "I love you! Not Wulfgar, you!"

"Don't give me that!" Drizzt spat back at her. "You always say that, but I don't believe you this time. Not anymore! I know you're with him. I saw the two of you before I left. Didn't you ever wonder _why_ I chose to 'go adventuring' so suddenly. You only know what I asked Alustriel to tell you. I know how close the two of you are, you and Wulfgar. I know what you've been doing and I don't even want to think about what you were doing behind my back the entire time you 'loved' me. You don't love me. I'm just a game to you, something you chose to play with when he doesn't want you. Well, I don't want you either!"

Catti-brie fell back onto the wall opposite her friend. He couldn't possibly mean anything he was saying. Drizzt could never be so cruel. He was her friend! She felt her legs give way, he did not come to catch her. She cried even harder, he did not wipe her tears away. "But I do love you!" she gasped. She heard him shuffle in place but he did not approach her. She could tell that most of his anger had been played out. "I really do love you..." Catti-brie let her head fall onto her folded knees. She heard as he started to move away.

"But I don't love you." came his soft, sad reply. "Not anymore."

Drizzt left the alley and went back into the inn. All of the others, save Hitori, sat patiently waiting for his explanation. He didn't bother giving one as he took the remaining bottle of honey mead from the table and headed upstairs with it. He didn't realize how angry he was until he heard the door to the room he was now sharing with the half drow slam forcibly behind him. The sound was almost thunderous to his sensitive ears, surprising both him and his new roommate who looked up from the weather worn book he was reading to regard him. Drizzt plopped himself down on the bed and drank deeply from the bottle not caring about getting sober anymore. Maybe Wulfgar had had a point about using the alcohol to dull the painfulness of his memories. He swallowed too much and set the bottle down, coughing heavily and spattering some of his mouth's contents to the floor.

"Take it easy. You'll choke if you keep that up." Hitori said as he sat down next to the drow. "What's wrong? I know _you_ don't normally drink that much." Drizzt let his head hang and Hitori put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What is it?" Drizzt shifted uncomfortably under his touch and tried to pull away. The half drow held him steadily. "I'm not letting you go. Tell me what happened."

After a few moments Drizzt looked up at him, his eyes full of tears that he was still holding onto. To Hitori, it became all too obvious what had happened to his younger counterpart. The half drow wrapped his arms around the ranger, securing him tightly. Drizzt heaved a sob into his chest and clung to him, not really caring about hiding himself anymore. The two lost all track of time as they sat together. Hitori waited patiently for Drizzt to regain control of himself. The younger drow was adhered fiercely to him trying to make himself stop crying, there was only so much more he could take. He slowly eased himself off of Hitori and took a deep, shuddering breath. Drizzt looked over to the half drow expecting to be faced with a disgusted expression but to his surprise found no such thing. Hitori was still as calm looking and empathic as before, his face was still an expression of understanding.

Drizzt managed to swallow down the last of his tears as he took another deep breath. "I didn't want her to come back." He whispered with trembling lips. "I thought she really loved me, I loved her. But then...but then I saw her with him and I couldn't take it. Everything was a lie. All of it...That's why I left with the others. They found me in the woods and I asked if I could go with them. I didn't really care where they were going or what they would be doing as long as it got me away from Mithral Hall. Away from her. I couldn't take it..." He put his face into his hands and fought off more tears. Hitori was the only other person he had told this to. "Please don't tell the others..." he continued sounding almost frightened. He didn't want to think of what would happen to him if they knew. He didn't want them to think he was weak.

Hitori rand his hand over the ranger's head softly. "Shh...I wont tell anyone. This will stay between the two of us, I promise. Who was she with?"

"Wulfgar." Even with his voice as low as it was, Hitori could still hear the venom in the drow's voice. He could hear the desperation in it even more. Hitori was semi-startled a few seconds later when Drizzt moved suddenly to face him, moving so close their faces were almost touching. The drow wore a curious looking expression that Hitori, for all of his experience, could not read. His eyes slipped to half closed, but still bore a strange, lurid hunger. Hitori was sure that Drizzt had no idea what he was doing as he let his hand start to slide up his body and pull him closer. Drizzt let his eyes close as he brushed his lips against Hitori's, slowly at first; trancelike. Hitori held perfectly still for him not wanting to agitate him into a situation he couldn't handle. He didn't resist when Drizzt's mouth met his in an almost forceful kiss, eager and begging.

Drizzt pulled away as quickly as he had initiated the kiss. He tried not to look too embarrassed but knew it was too late. It had been too late the second their lips had met. 'Why did I do that!' he screamed at himself. Hitori continued to be unjudging, he was slightly amused but hid that fact carefully. He didn't want to offend Drizzt who was obviously confused. The latter looked up at him wearily, "I'm sorry." he said. "I had no idea what I was doing. I hope I didn't offend you."

The half drow allowed himself to let out a small chuckle. "How could you offend me?" he asked. "I like men, remember? And you're not exactly a bad kisser. But you've never done that before, have you?"

The discomfited drow shook his head letting it hang. "Never. I've thought about it before though. Sometimes I've even wondered if I really liked Catti-brie in the first place, I don't know anymore."

"You like someone else?"

Drizzt shrugged uneasily. "I feel...attracted...To Entreri sometimes..."

"Sometimes?" Hitori's head cocked to the side as if he were expecting more.

"A lot of the time." the drow confessed, now fidgeting.

Hitori nodded as if this was the answer he had been expecting. "There's nothing wrong with feeling attracted to other men, it happens all the time. With us elves especially." That caused Drizzt to look up at him mortified. "Well, what can you expect?" Hitori continued waving his hand in the air dismissively. "We live such a long time, not many of us stick to one gender for our entire lives. It's normal for everyone, whatever race they are, to experiment. The real question is, and please forgive my bluntness, do you think you're gay?"

Drizzt shook his head. "I don't know." His voice had become noticeably slurred, the alcohol was definitely setting in. Fortunately, they both knew that he wasn't about to drink anymore. "I like women too... I feel attracted to them. I don't know."

Hitori shifted forward. "Let me put it this way, do you like it when I do this?" His lips met Drizzt's again, this time much softer than the first one. Drizzt moaned and pulled Hitori back against him. He didn't even bother questioning why he was so excited. He gave in and let Hitori's hands wander over his body exciting him further. Then the door opened.

The two males broke their kiss to face the intruder. Catti-brie fell back against the wall her face livid. Drizzt with another man?! Her mind screamed denial. It couldn't be true! "What is this?" she shrieked. And to Hitori, "What are you doing to him!" She stepped back as Drizzt stood up.

"He wasn't doing anything I didn't want." the drow stated calmly. She attempted to say something but he cut her off. "I don't care what you think of this. Hate me for it if you want. I don't care. Just leave me alone." He was still calm, but his voice held an undebateable tone of finality. He was done with her, Catti-brie realized. For good. She left him alone in the room with the strange half drow who could only be his lover. As the tears ran heavily down her face, she knew that she had brought this on herself. But she didn't know what to do.

In the room, Drizzt let out the breath he just realized he had been holding and sat down next to Hitori. "I'm tired." he whispered. In response, Hitori gathered him in his arms and brought the ranger's head to rest on his chest. Drizzt closed his eyes and drifted off, his last words to Catti-brie echoing still.


	3. Chapter 2: Past Lives

11/14/09

A/N: Alright, the last chapter was kind of rushed. The story is going to jump around quite a bit so please bear with me. I'll try not to rush so much.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters you do not already know as mine. All of my characters have been previously claimed in my other stories and there will be a few new, but generic ones in passing. Drizzt and Co. belong to R.A. Salvatore and WotC.

Warning: This story is likely to include- violence, violent ideas, religion bashing, foul language, sexual situations, suggestive dialogue and a bunch of other stuff along the same lines. If you don't like any of those please stop reading now. If you continue, you do so at your own risk of getting offended somehow. Thank you have a wonderful day.

* * *

Chapter Two: Past Lives

Kitana tossed and turned in her sleep again. She had no idea where this dream was coming from, but part of her didn't really want to find out. It had started like the one three days ago, the woman in the white dress with no face to be seen. The woman's voice calling to her, telling her to go somewhere. The specific 'where' was still in question. No answer could be gained from the strange woman with no face.

Kitana had followed her through the forest again. Like before she kept just out of reaching distance. Her voice chimed drearily in the chilled night air of the dream. Calling, calling, but to where? A shrill cry broke her rhythmic chanting. A splash and in an instant the demoness was at the cliff's edge. The cry continued from beneath the water. Kitana looked down into the lake, the water had cleared somewhat allowing her to see the woman's tattered white dress swirling around her in a haunting dance. Her face was thrown upwards like a prisoner; open mouthed; the water swallowed her keen. Kitana stepped too close to the edge, and maybe that was what the figure had wanted in the first place. A strong force slammed violently into her from behind sending her flailing off of the cliff edge.

With another loud splash Kitana met the water. The woman had not moved an inch from her fallen place. Her hand reached out and grabbed the demoness' firmly. The woman's mouth opened but released no words, instead there was an echo of her voice in Kitana's mind. '_Return to us lost one... You must return...'_

Kitana opened her mouth to retort but was gagged by the force of the water. Her sleeping body turned sharply and she was forced awake. She sat up in her bed, still feeling the shocking cold of the dark water in her dream. Her wrist was sore from where the woman had grabbed her. The warm body next to her rolled over in his sleep and sat up.

"What's wrong?" Entreri asked quietly. He didn't bother hiding his concern, she already knew how much he cared about her. Her skin was like ice when he rested his hand on her naked thigh. "You're freezing." The assassin wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her close. She curled into him, much to his delight, and let him hold her there. "What is it?" he tried again.

"It's nothing," she replied absently. Her tone, however, told him that she was in no mood to talk about it. Not even with him. Entreri wondered briefly if things would always be like this. Not liking the thought, the assassin shoved it out of his mind and focused on making Kitana warm again. He lay back down, pulling her with him, and tried to settle back to sleep. When Kitana was sure he was, she stepped outside and let the warm night air caress her as she thought about what her strange dreams could possibly mean.

* * *

The sun rose over the sprawling City of Splendors and with it the hustle and bustle of the place came to life. The streets were washed in the sun's vividly bright light causing more than one person to stop to admire anything that it sat upon. A cool, moist breeze brought the scent of wildflowers from the gardens of the noble district to mingle with the salty air of the busy working district. The pleasant scent wafted into the inn where Hitori and Kitana sat together, each drinking a hot cup of coffee, and discussing the half drow's current situation.

"There are just too many people it could be," Hitori was saying uncharacteristically impatient. His demoness companion nodded, it was true. Both of them, unfortunately, had more enemies than they could count.

"At least we know they work for the same person," Kitana replied calmly. "That narrows it down. Maybe if we catch them we can find out who they work for and why they're after you."

"But they said they were after you as well," Hitori reminded her. "And that they had a mistress of some sort. Does that narrow it down anymore?"

The demoness shook her head. "Not really. They said that I was in her way, right? When they were after you? But then why attack you if I was the cause of their mistress' ire? I can hardly believe that is all there is to it. There's more."

"There's got to be," her friend agreed. "I'm willing to bet it's not some jealous noblewoman who hates you because she caught her husband staring. You're too good at hiding your identity in passing. I would be a more likely candidate for that. But then if _that_ is the cause, there would be no reason for them to involve you. That would mean it's either someone who knows both of us or-"

"Or the ones that attacked you are double agents," Kitana finished for him. "Or there's some kind of partnership of two different parties that know both of us and want something. That seems fairly reasonable to me. So who do we know that either knows both of us, or has means to organize a new party that does?"

Hitori blew out a sigh. "I have no idea. But if they know both of us, they would have to be from Calimshan. That's where both of us really have our names made."

"That makes the most sense." Kitana leant forward on the table with her chin in her palm. "I suppose we should go out and get some information." Hitori nodded then the two left the table and headed out onto the street. No one bothered to lake a lingering look at the half drow and his companion, whom they took to be a half elf. They were unhindered for most of the day until they reached a cramped, secluded alley in the poorer part of the city. Kitana looked over to Hitori who gave her an almost imperceptible nod, confirming that he too knew they were being followed. His hand traveled to his belt and hidden dagger as he kept his eyes forward and his pace even. From the corner of his eye he picked up a deformity in the natural shadows of the alley, he tensed and readied himself for the obviously coming ambush. He spun around when a sharp cry came from behind him. One of the assailants crumbled to the ground with a dagger in his chest, Kitana's, and died. Kitana turned her head to the side silently telling her friend to turn back around. Hitori did, just in time, as soon as he was facing the opposite direction again he caught the assassin's dagger in mid-swing with his own. The would-be assassin was quickly dispatched by the half drow.

Hitori stared down at the corpse and his eyes widened. He had been right about the last time he was attacked, there was a matching insignia on their clothes. The patch was square and a much lighter blue than the navy of their uniforms. The blue square was overlaid with an only just smaller gold one emblazoned with navy lines crisscrossing it and in the middle was a simple crown design. "No," Hitori whispered. "Not now. How did they find me...?"

Kitana walked up silently behind him to examine the insignia. She too was familiar with this one. Everything but the blue under layer and the crown signified the flag of Calimport. The flag was then taken by noble houses and specified by their symbol, each house had a different one. The crown marked the house of a lower ranking noble house in Memnon, the one she had rescued Hitori from a long time ago. Her friend had placed a good question. How had they found them? And why after so long would Hitori's former master come looking? Things were not looking good.

* * *

It was much later in the evening now. Hitori sat alone in the single wooden chair in the room he shared with Drizzt, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. His long white braid almost touched the floor. So his master was still alive, he mused. That was hardly a surprise. Still, he had been hoping that he had possibly been killed in some unfortunate accident or something of the like. Accident being a sarcastic term of course. Accidents never really happened in Memnon after all. But it had been about seventy-five years since he had gone. He was free now there was no true question of that. When Kitana rescued him she had made sure to take him to a cleric far away from Calimshan to remove any bindings his former master might have had on him. He was free, wasn't he?

It had been such a long time ago. Hitori continued to stare at the ceiling. That night and those before it still remained perfectly clear in his mind. Kitana had been the first person in a very long time to do something so good for him. He closed his eyes and let the visions of his past come back to him.

_That day was like many, many before it. His master gripped his hair tightly and forced himself inside him violently. He didn't care if he hurt the half drow, Hitori was his property, so what if he got hurt? Toys were meant to be abused, broken, then tossed away. The master finished quickly this time, he had business to attend. He slapped Hitori again for good measure then left him on the pillow covered bed. At that point, Hitori never cried after. It had been a good while since he had done that. Almost twenty years. He lay completely still trying to make the pain pass, it always hurt worse when the master didn't take his time. He was much more violent when he took him so fast and there would likely be more of the same later. His neck was most likely bruised from having been gripped so hard, there would likely be an imprint of the master's hand there for a few days at least._

_He lay on the bed for what seemed like an hour. He didn't really care if the master came back and found him like this. Many times before he had simply picked him right up off the bed and took again him without any concern, then left him there once more. Until the next time he wanted to enjoy his plaything. The half drow tensed when he felt a stray breeze dance across his bare back. There was not supposed to be any outside air in his room, the master never allowed it and had even locked the window with a spell so he couldn't open it without permission. He sat up slowly to face the intruder he knew was there._

_She was strange looking, her pale skin luminescent in the red tinged desert moonlight. She dressed herself in unusual black leather armor that was fitted perfectly to her form. Her long silvery blonde hair was braided in a chain down her back. Her brooding, almond-shaped, grey eyes made him feel very conscious of the many wounds that covered his body. Some of them were still bleeding. After a few moments of staring she seemed to realize that he was no real threat to her. She stepped off of the window sill and into his room. He watched her uneasily, but managed to build up the confidence to speak to her. "Who are you?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" She regarded him curiously as though no one had ever spoken to her before, the corner of her full lips twitched as if in thought. He figured that she must be offended to have been spoken to so boldly by someone who was clearly a slave._

_"I'm here to kill someone," she answered simply. "One of the guild lieutenants." Hitori could not understand why or how she could be so open about her business. He didn't honestly care about it though. So what if she was here to kill someone? The lieutenants abused him just as much as his master did. One less of them would be good for him. He settled back against the wall. After a few minuets he looked up again and was surprised to find her still standing in his room. "Who hurt you?" she asked calmly. Cold as her voice and expression were, he could still hear a hint of compassion. This only served to surprise him more, compassion was not usually something found in an assassin. If it was there, it was never good for the one on the receiving end. But this one was different somehow. He looked at her more closely, she looked like a half elf, but there was something more about her, something else she was hiding. He let out a sigh not particularly caring about how she saw him, he was far from at his worst at the moment._

_"My master did." he replied. "And most of the guild members."_

_"You are a slave here?" she asked._

_"Pleasure slave. They use me when they feel like it." He sounded bitter and sad at the same time. Hitori winced in pain as he tried to stand then fell back onto his bed. He watched as she crossed his room silently convinced that she was about to kill him He knew he wouldn't hate her for it and in fact welcomed the idea of getting killed so he could escape this place forever. She didn't kill him, but instead took out a few small jars from her belt pouch and placed them on the bed in front of him. She left as silently as she had entered. He didn't see her for the next several days. He wondered on and off if she would come back._

_The window cracked open late one night three days later. Hitori could tell that she had made the noise on purpose to alert him. He was feeling much better than he had been the last time they had met and greeted her politely inquiring about what she needed. He was ready to give her anything she could possibly want for helping him. The one she had killed had been almost as bad as his master. "You're back," he stated. She nodded. "Is there something you need?"_

_"Tell me about this house." she replied. "I want to know as much as you can tell me, specifically the soldier count, any wards and traps around the place and any wizards that may be here." Hitori nodded and began explaining everything she had asked for in detail. After he finished half an hour later she handed him more healing salves and a few potions then left. They continued to meet like this for a few weeks in the confines of his room, long after the master had gone to bed. He was amazed that his master never picked up on this intruder. Then one night, everything changed. She came to him as usual, but she carried supplies._

_"What's going on?" He asked, sure that something was about to happen._

_"We're leaving," was her simple answer. Before he could get anything else out of what she had said, she took his hand and leapt out the window. He clung to her and tried not to scream as she carried him away into the night. He had no idea how someone could move so fast. Time lost all meaning as they ran finally they stopped suddenly in a completely new place. They were in a city far to the north; the chill wind bit at his desert acclimated-skin and barely-covered body. No place Hitori had ever been before. "Where are we?" he asked._

_"Waterdeep. A city in the north. No one should trouble you here as long as you behave. I'll have to spread some word around for people not to bother you. You should be fine soon enough. You can have my apartment here, I don't usually use it. I might drop in from time to time."_

_"That shouldn't be a problem," Hitori replied amazed. "Why did you do this?"_

_"I didn't like what they were doing to you. It's sick and no one deserves that. Here's the key to the apartment. There are a few different traps I left here you can use if you want to." She handed him the key and turned to leave. "I'll be back in the morning."_

Hitori opened his eyes. They had been friends ever since that night. It was hard to believe that it had been almost eighty years. He remembered the first morning in Waterdeep, it was large back then, though still smaller than its current size. She had come back with a good amount of food and some clothing for him. He remembered how young she looked in the clear morning light, and at that point she had been. She was twenty-seven he recalled. Then he had noticed her hands. He had asked and she had told him the truth. She wasn't a half elf like he had mistaken her for. After the first day things were relatively easy. As she had promised, no one bothered him. He got a job working at a bar and later as a dancer. That had began his ongoing career as a stripper, which he still found highly amusing.

He was broken out of his musings when the room door opened. Hitori almost laughed at the irony, Kitana stepped into the room. "What do you think we should do?" she asked calm as ever.

"I don't know," he answered.

"I think it would be best if I went and took care of him. This won't stop until he's gone, regardless of the fact of how long it took to send someone for you. We can worry about who's after me later."

Hitori nodded. "If you think that's what's best."

"I'll hire a wizard and go to Memnon in the morning." Kitana left the room as Drizzt entered. The two males said nothing to each other and lay down for Reverie together.


	4. Chapter 3: Breaking Boundaries

11/22/09

Disclaimer: I do not own Drizzt and Co. under any circumstances. They belong to R.A. Salvatore and WotC. I don't want to steal them and all that other stuff. My own characters have been previously claimed in my other stories.

Warning: This story may include the following- Violence, violent ideas, suggestive dialogue, sexual situations, religion bashing, disgusting things etc. If you do not like or approve, please stop reading. If you continue even though you don't like what has been listed, you do so at your own risk of becoming offended. Much love.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This chapter contains some mild slash. That is: Semi-explicit male/male sexual interaction. I put this here, because some genius, gave me the "I don't think so" and had been surprised by the same style plot in one of my other stories when I put the slash warning in the description. It's the end of the third scene, don't like, don't read.

* * *

Chapter Three: Breaking Boundaries

"You will do exactly as I say, wizard," Kitana's frigid voice sounded from behind the frail looking man sharp as a dagger point. "I want to go somewhere and you are going to send me. I know you can, so do not even begin to tell me otherwise. After you send me away, it will be as if I was never here. Got it?" The man nodded and pointed with shaking hands to his portal.

"P-please step inside, M-Mistress. Once you are inside I will say the command word. All that is required of you is that you think of specifically where it is you wish to go." The wizard nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she did as he asked. He managed to hold himself through her stern gaze and did not falter as he spoke the portal's command word. She was gone not a moment too soon for his liking. Afterward, he fell into his over-stuffed chintz chair with a glass of very strong brandy. Why did this always happen to _him_? he wondered. From all accounts, none of the other wizards had dealt with the same number of angry assassins. The wizard shook his head in dismay, maybe it was time for him to retire.

* * *

Kitana raced through the portal. It was definitely an interesting feeling and one that no matter how many times she had done this before, she felt she would never get completely used to. The demoness shook off the feeling as soon as her feet touched the hard stone floor of Hitori's former room in the guild house. From the state of things, it looked as though no one had been in here since she had brought him away all those decades ago. A thick layer of dust covered almost everything and it was difficult even for such a trained assassin not to kick any of it up. Not that it would matter if she did, she thought. The guild master was already as good as dead, she just had to find him. She stalked silently through the halls of the guild house, the place felt strangely inert at the moment and she wondered what was going on. Kitana knew that there were people here, she could smell them all around her. So why was it so quiet? Something was not right.

She made a left turn at the end of the corridor where Hitori's old room was and stepped further down. This part of the building had been largely abandoned even when she had first come here. The master had demanded privacy with his favorite and most valuable slave, or so Hitori had told her. Kitana took it as a good omen that much had remained the same. She slipped into one of the various side rooms to examine things a little more closely. Something was out of place. The room she was in was an office of some kind, or at least it had been. It looked like it had never been used since the place was built, except she thought to herself as she realized a disturbance in the dust layer on the single desk that ornamented the room. Two tomes, looking very old themselves, sat atop it. Naturally curious by nature, Kitana chose to take a minute to look at them before she did what she had come here to do. She opened one and saw that it was written in some strange language that she instinctively recognized as her own. The demoness flipped through a few pages before she took both books and put them in her bag. They would warrant a later investigation. She became shadows as she continued to make her way through the house.

The smell of rotting flesh flitted through her nostrils. There was something wrong here. She heard a soft, pained sounding gurgling noise come from a door not too far down the hall. The stench of corpses grew insufferably stronger as did another scent, that of a heavily aroused male. Hitori's former master was very much alive it seemed, and he hadn't changed a bit. Kitana opened the door to the room casually and walked in. The naked half demon looked up from his bloodletting of a now dead woman and smiled. Ten other female corpses littered the floor.

"I thought I would be seeing you here," he purred baring his savage fangs. "How good to see you again, little slave thief. I shall assume by your presence that my dear Hitori is alive and my assassins failed to claim him." The half demon dropped the woman's body and approached Kitana. "You are going to pay very dearly for taking him, little half elf. Don't you know not to play with demons?" He lashed his hands out at Kitana impossibly fast and missed her completely. He blinked once, long enough to realize that she had vanished.

Kitana reappeared behind him and struck out with her own hand, pinning the half demon to the wall. He had been considerably weakened in the last several decades. Or was it that she had become several times stronger? It didn't matter, this was almost insultingly easy. Her claws dug into his neck and pierced his jugular. "Don't you know not to play with enemies you don't understand?" She retorted coldly, mocking him. "Sadly for you, I am no half elf." Kitana released her grip and the half demon's blood pumped furiously from his wounds. Kitana stabbed him in the chest to confirm his death then disappeared into the night to find another wizard.

* * *

Drizzt watched Hitori closely; his roommate was unusually quiet and had been for the last few hours. Not that Drizzt felt he could blame the half drow, not at all. The ranger wondered what kind of a past Hitori really had. No one had said anything much about why those men had been after him. Any and all discussion on the subject had strictly been between him and Kitana. Still, Drizzt had other things on his mind.

"Why are you staring at me?" Hitori asked him softly, opening his tired eyes to look at the drow.

Drizzt struggled to find an answer. What should he say? It didn't seem right to him to ask Hitori about his past, not now when he was under so much stress. "Did you like it when I kissed you?" he blurted.

Hitori sat up smiling and an amused chuckle escaped his lips. "Is that all?" He laughed again as Drizzt tried to hide his embarrassment. Hitori's smile widened, Drizzt looked so cute in his attempt. The half drow reached out and grabbed the ranger's hand. "I did like it. What about you? Did you like it when you kissed me?" Drizzt bit his lip and nodded. "Are you uncomfortable?" Hitori whispered gently, squeezing the ranger's hand.

"A little," Drizzt couldn't understand why he was still so confused. He had admitted to himself before that he had enjoyed their kiss the other night. Saying it out loud to Hitori made it seem all the more awkward. "This is still strange to me. But...it's not wrong. That is what I do not understand. It doesn't feel wrong at all."

"It just feels different?" the half drow suggested.

"Yes," the ranger began slowly. "Just like when I started to feel attracted to Artemis. Only..." Drizzt let the word hang in the air.

"Only?"

Drizzt sluggishly met Hitori's gaze. "I don't know."

The half drow nodded knowingly. "Do you want to try things with me? You know, experiment. Maybe that will help you get a better idea." He caressed Drizzt's cheek gently when he saw a small amount of fear pass over his angular features. "Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't want. We'll play by your rules, you can tell me to stop whenever you want and I will. I promise." He moved himself forward and was pleased when Drizzt did not move back or reject him. The drow met his lips eagerly even going so far as to embrace him and let his hands wander a little. Hitori smiled against him then broke the kiss to let his mouth stray over Drizzt's neck eliciting an excited gasp from him as he nibbled on a tender spot. "You like that?" he asked. The ranger let out a small whimper as though asking him why he had stopped. "Do you want more?" Hitori's hand found its way to Drizzt hard member and started to rub it through his clothes. Drizzt ground into his palm begging for more. The drow ranger took in a ragged breath and fell back onto the bed. He felt like he was on fire and was seeing stars as Hitori's mouth found its way to his cock. Hitori slipped his tongue over it gently groped the shaft. Drizzt let the feeling take him far, far away, still not quite believing that something could feel this good.

* * *

The tavern was completely silent when the strange looking woman stepped inside. Several men stared leeringly at her, but Kitana was used to such reactions. That was why most men disgusted her. The stench of their lust only served to further irritate her, but there was nothing she could do about it. She calmly walked back upstairs after making brief eye contact with the innkeeper who recognized her as an already paid customer. She could sense that the others were all in one of their rented rooms waiting for her return. Kitana opened the door silently. No one said a thing until she closed it.

"Well?" Hitori asked gravely.

"He's dead," Kitana replied. "So is everyone else in the house. He killed them all before I got there and was in the process of killing the last one when I found him. It was strange there though. I swear while I was walking through people were alive. But it doesn't matter now, everything there has been taken care of and no one from that house will be coming after you again."

"Good," was all the half drow said. He wasn't sure about how he felt about this. He had wanted to be free and that was exactly what he had gotten. Again. Thanks to Kitana. Again. But now what? He looked up realizing that Kitana probably wanted further explanation. "I'm going to bed." He left the room with Drizzt following behind.

Kitana sighed and turned to the others. "I'm going into the other room, I found some things I want to take a look at."

"Do you want me to stay in another room tonight?" Entreri asked hesitating slightly.

"No. Come in when you feel like it. I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight though." Kitana left the room with a strange expression on her face. She looked intrigued but also upset or something of the like. The others were left to wonder about her yet again, but no one felt they could ask her about it.

Kitana sat down at the room's single desk. The two tomes sat on top of it waiting for her to read them. She had placed them there over an hour ago. The demoness had a small sense of foreboding with the books. What would happen if she read them? What would she find out? 'No.' Kitana thought stubbornly. 'I want to read this. I want to know.' She opened the book without another thought against it. She stared at the words in her native tongue on the first page. "_Asiaire mechda._" She recited as something willed her. The words on the page shifted across it; new words were formed in their place.

_In the history of our realm, the Ilarian race had possibly become the most powerful. Only the ancient Netherese could claim to be above them, at least in my opinion from what I have been able to learn. Primarily of demon decent, the Ilarians possessed unique and strange abilities that still have yet to be recreated by any not their own. Some possess the voices of the deep sea Sirens, others could change their shape at will. In their natural forms they often look haunting and preternaturally beautiful. In appearance they seem elf-like, but even the elfkin cannot match their beauty in the face of mortals, although I have recorded cases of a witness being too think headed to notice the differences between the two races. Magic is their blood, and as such spirits were often drawn to them. Many Ilarian priests and priestesses held the favor of numerous spirits at one time, at any given time, allowing them many advantages over the other races of the world._

_Not much has been learned about their secretive race; this tome is perhaps the largest gathering of their information. It is unlikely that more than a few possible descendants and survivors remain after their fall. I have discovered that there has been more than one Blood War during my tedious research. In times long past, the demons of the Abyss roamed the open surface of the Prime. In the beginning, all of the demon races wanted peace with each other and the young mortal races. Many powerful demons fought against this pacifist policy and encouraged most of the familiar abyssal races and some of the Prime races to wage war on the mortals who they thought unworthy of living given their weaknesses and short lifespans. The world knew hellfire as the rebels decimated all they came across. Countless lives were valiantly lost on either side of the war. It was the Ilarians and their powerful magics that finally ended the carnage. Having already discovered the ability to travel to different Planes they opened a portal to the infinite layers of the Abyss and all of the rebels were cast inside. They further secured the end by placing a transferring binding on the portal. For each demon that passed through the gate, a spell was placed that bound the demons to their plane. Various dark mages have tried to dispel the binding but have only succeeded in allowing demons to travel the Prime in brief durations. One could only imagine what could happen if one eventually managed such a feat. The banishment is the reason for the deep loathing abyssal demons feel for the demons of the Prime._

_After the banishment of the rebels, the world knew peace again, but only for a short time. The other races began to grow suspicious of the Ilarians and their strange powers. They demanded that they be taught the Ilarian abilities. Some learned these powers successfully, but not all beings had the ability to even use it. There became a fragile truce between all of the races and most chose to go in their own directions and progress in their own abilities. There still remained conflict between the races, however, and they last until this day. Demons attacked mortals, mortals attacked demons, tribes fought against tribes. Only the most powerful of both remained in relative safety. All the races became mistrustful of those not their own and the Ilarians, seeing no end to the conflict chose to remain on their islands to the south of Japan._

_Some of the more hostile demonic races took this as a sign of oncoming attack. They had still remained jealous of the Ilarian power and sought to take it for their own. In the Year of the Shattered Wall, 1271 DR, the new rebels started their attack on the Ilarians. The siege lasted seven days and resulted in the fall of the Ilarian capital of Ashuri on the isle of Ilari. The queen was killed as were all of her guards. The true number of survivors is unknown, if there are any at all. There are rumors of survivors spread throughout the known lands, none have ever been found._

Kitana looked up form the book. Words shifted a song in her mind as she tried to focus again on the book in front of her. _Lost one.... Lost one, come to us. Go back to the land of the lost..._

The voice faded and was gone completely. Kitana was about to turn her attention to the book again but it burst into flame before her. With it, Kitana lost any hope for learning more. Her legs gave out from under her, leaving her on the floor staring blankly at the ashes. The words of the tome haunted her. Her race had been powerful and had then been betrayed by the other demons. But Kitana was all too familiar with betrayal, she was an assassin. She had grown up in Calimshan. There was more to her sudden feeling of illness. 1271 DR, the year of her birth, had also been the year of her race's fall. How many children had died during the siege? And how was she still alive? The voice had beckoned her to go to the land of the lost, which she now surmised, meant Ilari. But what was there? Kitana sat debating the thought for several moments, a small cough brought her to attention.

"I did not think I would ever find you so distracted." the elfmaid said cheerfully. "Good for you that I am no assassin coming to kill you."

Kitana was startled back into awareness. She stood and glared at the elfmaid. "What do you want?" she asked curtly.


	5. Chapter 4: Theft

1/12/10

Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own Drizzt and co. They are the property of R.A. Salvatore and WotC. I have no intentions of stealing them AT ALL, I just feel like putting them in different and sometimes not so good (or very good) situations. My characters include so far: Kitana, Hitori, Hitori's former master (who was already killed but remains mentioned in passing), the elfmaid Silver and the various other people that I threw in and killed.

Warning: This story contains- violence, violent ideas, sexual situations, slash, mush, religion bashing and sooner or later foul language. If you do not like any of those, I ask you to please stop reading before you get offended. If you continue to read you do so at your own will and at the risk of getting offended but at that point it wont be my fault. Thank you, have a nice day.

Sorry about the delay, I don't like to post unless I have twice as many chapters as the one I'm posting. I like to be prepared for a while.

* * *

Chapter Four: Theft

"What do you want?" Kitana asked again, her voice taking on its characteristic frigidity. She was sick of being distracted and interrupted. The demoness continued to glare at the elfmaid who remained beaming for some strange reason. It was a look she found more than a little disturbing, but Kitana kept that to herself.

"I have a job for you," Silver explained. Her voice, however, did not hold her smile.

"And that would be?"

Silver shuffled in spot a bit, showing some of her distress. Kitana knew that this was not normal for the elf, even though she did not know her very well. "I want you to go visit one of the upper noble houses in the city. A human male by the name of Jesin Canterfairé stole a gem from my people several years ago and we want it back. Unfortunately, none in my band have the skill to retrieve it."

"Thus, you have turned to me," Kitana finished flatly. "And why is that?"

The elfmaid leant back into the wall. "The majority of my band is elven. Canterfairé is notorious for hunting and killing elves. He hates us and openly states that he thinks that all of Faerûn would be better off without my people. It is well known throughout the noble ranks that he was behind the caravan raid five years ago that left the ambassador from the Moonwood dead, that was how he obtained the Elfstar in the first place. He hunts us for sport, and I will not ask any of my people to face such a horrid fate while I am fully aware of it."

"Thus, you have turned to me," Kitana repeated.

"I have turned to you," Silver replied. "Not even the most skilled of my elven thieves can measure up to your abilities. Most of us stay away from that profession anyway. We need that gem back."

Kitana shrugged. "I'll look into it," she replied nonchalantly. The elfmaid nodded in appreciation and left in a flash of light. No trace of her remained in the room, she had disappeared completely. The demoness sat back down contemplating the job. The elf could have been lying after all. She had heard about the raid on the caravan shortly after it happened five years ago but had thought nothing of it at the time. Though, she recalled, the incident had upset Hitori greatly. Kitana hadn't been surprised, his other half was moon elf and he felt a strong tie to that part of his heritage. She remembered how much her friend's outrage had surprised her. Hitori was never one to get extremely angry about something.

Kitana slipped silently out her bedroom window, she would need more information.

What she found came as no real surprise. Elves were not well liked among the Waterdeep nobility for some reason. Very few were brought into the cycle, never males, but those who were, were often met with unfortunate accidents. Elves were accepted well enough in the primarily human city, being a trading port it would be bad for business if they were not allowed in. The mysterious Lords of Waterdeep were known to want to keep the elven folk as allies and trading partners. The nobles tolerated their presence as long as they did not wish to gain into their fold. Not that the elves truly cared to; most non-elves were simply not refined enough to suit their tastes. That said, Kitana knew that it would not be terribly difficult to get to Canterfairé, a nobleman himself, and retrieve what she had come to get. The others spoke highly of his efforts behind their closed doors filled with the stench of expensive alcohol and calling him 'The Great Elf-Slaughterer' for his most recent attack against the Sylvan folk. All she had to do was listen in on a few conversations to have the elfmaid's account confirmed. After several hours of eavesdropping, the demoness assassin chose to move along in her information gathering. Now that she knew the tales of the man were true, it was time for her to learn about his home, and more specifically, its defenses.

Even at the late hour, the streets were still full, a far different crowd than the morning however. This did not bother Kitana in the least. She knew these people, she knew how to deal with them. She was one of them, more or less. One tavern in particular caught her attention, The Silken Sylph and its owner were well known to her. She stepped inside not bothering to appear as a customer. The bartender looked up at her and his face blanched in obvious terror, making her smile inwardly. He nodded awkwardly, then pointed to the door in the far corner of the common room. The Serpent was in. She stepped through the door without so much as thought about her safety.

* * *

Elaith Craulnober drew his twin knives and crouched behind the corner of his desk as the door burst open unexpectedly. From his position, he saw what appeared to be a dangerous looking half elf, dressed as an obvious assassin. Her lead tilted to the side and she smiled, Elaith realized that she knew where he was and there was no point for him to launch his planned sneak attack. The elven rogue stood haughtily to face this assailant. "Why have you entered my private office?" he demanded coldly. Her smile twitched at the corner giving him the feeling that she was amused.

"Now, now, Snakie, that is no way to speak to a lady," she replied mockingly and just as cruel as he was. "Put those away," she said referring to his knives. "You won't need them, though they would do you little good if you did. I am here for information. I think this will be of interest to you as well with your being a moon elf."

Elaith scowled at the jibe. "And what, my dear, is that supposed to mean?" he answered stiffly. He tucked his knives into their sheaths but kept them loose as a precaution. He sat calmly in his chair watching her for any sudden movement. The air felt charged with some unseen power, further putting him on edge. He had a vague idea of who she was, but he still needed to confirm it. "What is it to you?"

Kitana nodded curtly and sat herself down opposite him. "It means nothing to me. It has simply become that we have reason now to cross paths and make business against a now common foe."

"And that would be...?"

"Jesin Canterfairé."

Elaith's cold mask broke, briefly revealing his surprise. He recovered quickly, and she in what he figured was supposed to be an act of kindness, pretended not to have noticed at all. "What is it you want from me? By all accounts you seem to be a half elf, though I could easily be mistaken of course. He would not take well to one of our kind looking for him and would likely kill you if he found word." He threw her an amused smile, perhaps to simply throw her off. "What is your interest in him?"

Kitana straightened in the chair. Business was on. "I have been hired to retrieve a gem he stole from the Moonwood elves five years ago. I'm sure you know the incident of which I speak. The gem itself is called the Elfstar Sapphire."

The elf solemnly nodded his understanding. "I am indeed familiar with it," he replied cordially. "You are not asking me to retrieve it for you, are you?" Not surprisingly Kitana shook her head. "Then you will want information about his house."

"I want to know the room and soldier count, the location of the treasure room, his time schedule and any and all defenses of the place."

"That is much to ask, my lady. Such information will take time to gather," He grinned wolfishly. "Have you a time and a payment for my services?"

Kitana rose from the chair, dusted off the leather of her pants, then looked up at Elaith. "Tomorrow night, here. When the gem is given to my employer, she will pay me. I have no need of the gold and I will turn it over to you. It will likely be a fair amount considering the work I'm doing. I will have an acquaintance of mine deliver it to you after the work is completed and it is safe for us to do so." Kitana turned away from him and made to leave for the exit.

"I shall do as we arranged. It will be a pleasure working for you, Lady Kanashimi," he said softly, on a whim. He had meant to offer some spite but the intent was lost on her, which only proved to confirm his suspicions. He would do the work for her, and gladly; he hated the man Canterfairé with a deep-rooted passion. It would do him well to see another elf hating noble dead. "Do give him what he deserves," he added cheerfully as a second thought.

* * *

Kitana strode easily down the stairs to the common room of the inn, her burgundy and black dress flowing gracefully behind her. More than one head turned but she ignored them completely and instead headed for the round table in the corner of the room that her companions had taken as their own. Hitori looked at her knowingly, the others curiously as she approached them. The half drow gave a slight nod to show that he knew what she was going out to do. She told the others anyway.

"I'm going out for a while, I have a job to do," she explained smoothly. Her voice was plain as though speaking of a menial task like housework. "Should you need to find me, I'll be in the southern end of the Garden District. I shouldn't be too long."

"We'll be here," Hitori replied, also nonchalant. He was used to this by now. How could he not be after the three quarters of a century they had known each other? He still distinctly remembered the first time she had gone out on a job after she had freed him. That long ago evening had resulted in the deaths of sixteen Calishite high nobles, making room for another noble who was also a guild master to take charge of the city as a governor for a while. Ironically, she had been called in to kill that one too after the others, and the true royal family, decided that he had become too problematic.

"I shouldn't be too long," she repeated as she turned away. She casually walked down the still crowded street, looking no more than a noblewoman on her way home. Those more experienced remained in the shadows. Word had been put out that she was to remain unhindered and that those who sought to approach her would be unwise to do so and would likely be killed for the effort.

Elaith had told her the approximate number of guards of the place was one hundred. Canterfairé favored magical traps over mechanical ones, and those were located mostly around his private chambers and his treasure room. The two were adjacent to each other at about the center of the large mansion the nobleman sported. The set up was common, even favored by the other nobles in Waterdeep, and Kitana had been inside most of them at one point or another. The demoness felt secure enough of the knowledge of the structure of the place and was ready to sneak in without interference. This night Canterfairé was throwing a lavish party in his own honor, undoubtedly because of his last venture. The party also bragged about an auction of fine elven things that any who came to the party were welcome to. A fire burned within the pit of Kitana's stomach as she thought of this. She couldn't stand anyone who bragged about killing innocents, which she had no doubt the elves he had slain were. Further thinking led her to the image of her best friend. Hitori would cringe upon hearing of this despicable man's exploits, and though he did not approve of killing, he would be satisfied that the man had gotten exactly what he deserved for the deaths of his kin. Not that there were many full blooded surface elves that were fond of him. But Kitana knew, regardless of their feelings, he hated that the surface elves were being so violently massacred.

Bright lanterns lit the over-sized staircase leading to the interior of Canterfairé's mansion. Kitana willed her ears to a more human looking shape. Then she darkened her skin to a more tan color, and her hair became more of a mahogany tone. Her eyes could stay the same, she decided, as could the majority of her facial features. Satisfied with the transformation she continued on her way clutching her dress a little tighter to hide her claws. As she reached the top of the stairs, the guards smiled obligingly. To them she was just another beautiful noblewoman come to another one of their boss's parties. Kitana wandered into the ballroom and took in everything she could. The room was for the most part full with the typical cheerful crowd as parties were wont to have. Several large tables filled with unimaginable amounts of fine food lined the wall on the eastern and western sides. A large fountain was the centerpiece of the room bearing a swan being held up by a nymph, whose lips were pursed in a kiss to the bird. The water gurgled happily from a pedestal beneath them. No one sat at the head table on the southern end of the room. Canterfairé was not yet among his guests. Kitana took this as a good sign and slipped away silently into one of the hallways adjacent to the ballroom. No traps lined the white marble floor and walls of the hallway, magical or otherwise. The floor fell into a slight decline as she had figured it would. Most nobles had their private quarters and treasure rooms on a lower level of their houses as a precaution.

Kitana chuckled softly. It did not do them any good. Most thieves and assassins like herself were too well trained in the art of personal defenses. She was not surprised at all to feel a slight vibration at her finger tips as she located a door set within a gilded frame. It seemed that Canterfairé was also stereotypical in that aspect, showing off more wealth than he probably had. She disregarded this fact. It didn't matter if he was just like everyone else, it wouldn't have mattered if he was completely different. He had something she had been hired to get and she was going to get it one way or another. Kitana paused for a moment to consider that last thought, but brushed it off. She disengaged the trap without difficulty and unlocked the door. They had been minor things, the door swung open with her slightest touch. Inside a man let out a clamorous cry of frightened outrage.

"Who are you? How dare you enter my private treasury?" Jesin Canterfairé bellowed. "You are not supposed to be in here! Get out!"

Kitana disregarded him for the time being and instead turned her attention to a small pedestal behind him. On it a large gem glowed dimly, a loving effigy of the stars that elves so loved. "On the contrary," she purred surreptitiously. "I can go wherever I please. But I was asked to come here. Perhaps we can make a deal for that lovely little gem behind you."

The corner of his lips twitched vehemently as he scowled. "You can't have it! Who sent you, you little bitch?" He had apparently been hoping that she would falter under his impetuousness. Kitana only served to be amused by his arrogance.

She sighed in mock irritation. "Well, I guess we're going to have to do this the hard way. What _is_ it with you nobles? Why can you mot ever do anything in a coherent manner where no one has to get hurt because of their stupidity? I guess I cannot really ask much more from you though, can I?" Her hand snapped to her whip's handle that was nearly hidden in the belt of her gown. "Give me the gem or you will die," she continued flatly.

"You can't have it!" Canterfairé screamed violently. "It's mine by right! I fought off all of those filthy tree huggers myself for this prize. It is mine by conquest! Do you honestly believe that _you_, a mere woman, can stand against the likes of me? I'll have your head for this!"

Kitana sighed for real this time. "Why do they always have to be so stupid?" she muttered to herself. She sidestepped without much thought as Canterfairé lunged at here, attempting to take her down by the sheer force of his weight. He managed to regain his balance enough to withdraw a long, wicked-looking dagger from his belt and turned upon her again. The blade of the weapon had supposedly been made from the tooth of a long dead elf-eater. Again, Kitana merely sidestepped putting a hand in her belt pouch and grabbing one of the several small objects inside. They repeated this a few more times- with each passing Canterfairé became more enraged. Kitana let him tire himself out before making any real attempt to fight back. She knocked him to the ground and ran to fetch the gem in single fluid motion. The Elfstar slipped unassumingly into her pouch and a fake clattered to the floor.

"You bitch!" Canterfairé growled. "I'll get you for this!" He got to his feet and rammed into Kitana's slender form, hoping to pin her and then beat her senseless. He missed again and fell to the floor with a loud thud. He heard one of his ribs crack upon impact. Cautiously, he started to roll himself over not knowing what to expect from this strange woman who had so easily defeated him, in his own home no less. His eyes widened with shock as she let herself slip back to her regular appearance. "What manner of being are you?" he gasped as his rib started to pierce his lung. She knelt down next to him with a hard look on her face.

"Nothing you need to worry about," she replied in the same monotone she had used the entire time. She slid her hand into her pouch and pulled out the real Elfstar. "I'm taking this." The gem dropped back inside. Her last words fell on empty ears though as blood began to pour from the man's mouth. He had been dead before she had uttered the first syllable. "Fool."

* * *

"You have the gem?" the elfmaid asked eagerly from the shadows. Even the silver of her hair was hidden from the glow of the moonlight. The alley they stood in reeked of rotting fish and stale wine. Kitana wrinkled her nose in disgust, did this woman have any idea how strong her senses were? The demoness took another look at her employer of the moment, and decided that she must not have a clue.

"I have it here," she said holding out her pouch.

"I will have it from you before you receive your payment," Silver explained, not surprising Kitana at all.

"As you will," the latter replied with a shrug, she didn't really care about the payment either way. She knew that if she didn't reroute it to Elaith, there was nothing he would do about it. He was not a foolish elf after all, just a little arrogant. Kitana wondered if she should withhold the payment just to spite him as she held out the Elfstar for Silver to take. The elfmaid's eyes widened with pure delight as they took in the sight of the beloved gem. Her hands grasped it trembling.

"Well indeed!" she exclaimed. "Here is your payment, no less than two thousand gold. I would have gladly given you more but my lieutenants thought it unwise to put so much on you. No offense of course."

Kitana took the gold not paying attention to a word the elfmaid said. She silently appraised the sack, confirming that it held at least close to the said amount.

"Expect me to call on you again," Silver continued. "After this you should count on it." Kitana nodded absently and turned away not caring that she was being rude. She wanted to get back to the others as soon as possible. She noted that Silver vanished as soon as her back had turned.

The inn was still crowded as when she left. She had only been gone for little more than an hour. The others, it seemed, had not moved at all. Once again they regarded her curiously as she neared them with the sack of gold visible in her hand. She wordlessly put it on the table in front of Hitori who looked up at her questioningly. She sighed softly. "There's a snake in the water," she said to him. He nodded in understanding then turned to the others and laughed at their clueless expressions. Kitana turned away and went back to the room she shared with Artemis.

Her remaining tome sat almost imposingly on the desk. The scorch marks from the other one had all but vanished; there would be no trace of them in the morning. Kitana lowered herself into the chair and reached for the book. She hesitated a moment before opening it- what if this one burned too? She supposed that there was no point in not looking. She couldn't know what would happen if she didn't at least give it a try. Not that it would matter to her if the book burned, she had been toying with the idea of going to the isle of Ilari since she found its name in the other tome. With that thought she opened it. To her disappointment, its pages lay perfectly blank. She lay her head down on the edge of the desk trying to let go of her growing frustration. The dull pain in her temples returned languidly as though teasing her that it could come and go as it pleased. The call returned.

_Come back...Come back to the land of the lost..._


	6. Chapter 5: Heeding The Call

2/14/10

A/N: I"M STILL ALIVE! I'm posting two right now, please note that my updates may become fairly slow for a while. I lost most of my done files and I have to redo them. Unfortunately, my muse isn't quite back yet.

Disclaimer: Drizzt and Co. are the undisputed property of R.A. Salvatore. I don't want to steal them at all. My characters are mine, obviously, and have been previously claimed.

Warning: Use of things most people probably don't like. See other chapters for list or read and see for yourself. I don't feel like typing it today.

Chapter Five: Heeding The Call

Kitana's feet met the floor silently as she paced her room. The blank book had told her nothing and the call had come again after she had closed it. Had that been the point, then? To make the call return? The words still echoed through her mind, almost relentlessly. _Come back... come back..._

Did she want to 'come back'? the demoness mused. Kitana doubted that she had ever been there in the first place. At least not to her knowledge. So then, if she had never been there, how could she return? Kitana shook her head in dismay; she was avoiding answering her own question. She admitted, at least, that she was curious. She knew so little about where she came from, it almost seemed pathetic. Even Hitori had more than she did, and neither side of his heritage had wanted him, she thought vehemently. Kitana stopped that last train of thought and mentally slapped herself. How could she possibly hold something like that against her friend? The circumstances of his birth certainly were not his fault.

But she also admitted to herself that she was jealous. At least Hitori knew where he came from.

_Come back... come back..._

"All right!" Kitana finally spat aloud. "I want to go!" She fell back onto the bed staring up at the collapsing ceiling of the room. 'Best inn in the city, my ass...' she thought irritably. If it was the best it wouldn't be falling apart as she watched. Kitana didn't bother to wonder why she was so suddenly filled with disgust. She had been angry for a while now, the last few days especially. She sighed in frustration. "All right," she said to herself again wearily. "I'll go, but I should take the others with me." She felt that her reasoning was sound. If something happened, it would be better to have the others along with her, wouldn't it? Plus, she felt the strong need to be around Hitori for some reason. The half drow would always want to be there for her, she knew, and there was no way that even she could stop him. She remembered that the single time she had knocked him out to keep him from following her into danger, he had come anyway. 'I wonder how he can care so much,' she thought as she sat up, 'He's going to get himself killed.'

Kitana slowly made her way down the squeaking stairs of the inn and into the common room. The place seemed to be a sad attempt against reality at best; shadows coalesced around the few somber figures that inhabited it. A brief glance to the side of the room brought her eyes to her companions who had chosen to sit inconspicuously in a corner. A flicker of light from a nearby candle sent a stray wave of darkness dancing across their faces, giving them a haunted look. Hitori looked up, sensing her gaze falling upon him specifically. His eyes told her that he knew; he always knew, and was not in the least surprised. She crossed the room soundlessly and joined the others at their table. "I want to go," she said in a low monotone. Hitori nodded. "I want you to go with me."

"There is a ship that sails east in the morning," her friend replied quietly. She knew he was thinking of what she had confessed about her dreams; he hadn't liked the sound of them at all. However, Kitana knew he understood that this was her choice. This was something she felt she had to do. She knew he would be curious as well, were he in her place. "I will go make arrangements if you'd like. Do you mean for just the two of us, or the others as well?"

Her expression was one they could not hope to read. "We can all go," she replied in the same tone as before. They were able to detect a small twinge of sadness in her voice, an unconscious slip. Kitana paid it no attention, stood once more, and left them sitting as though she had never been there. Likewise, Hitori said nothing to the others as he left the inn to go make the arrangements for the ship. They looked to each other but found no answers.

* * *

Kitana let out a small sigh as she closed and locked the door behind her. It was a simple force of habit, locking the door, but one she also knew would do no real good. If one of the others became concerned enough to bother her, he could easily pick the flimsy bolt. She stared absently out the dirty window, her silvery grey eyes breaking through the uncleaned glass to peer at the sapphire sky. Hitori's eyes... They were the same color, she remembered out of nowhere, and they often glittered with the same stars. She wondered how such a simple thing could come to her at that moment- of course she knew what his eyes looked like! She had since they first met. So why now? She shook her head irritably, the thought while not completely unwelcome, had come unbidden into her mind. It had no place there right now, she scolded herself. Perhaps it was just her sudden need to be close to the half drow.

She lay on the bed, making the effort to maintain her silence. The worn, uneven mattress was uncomfortable against her breasts but she felt no need to lie on her back. Using her arms as a pillow she remained there gazing at the sky. A steel coil broke through the thin cloth, jabbing her thigh with its sharp edge; she didn't care.

* * *

Later that evening, Hitori sat in the room next to hers with his slender hand on the wall, the rest of his body leaning on it. Somehow, he felt that she wanted to be near him although she had locked the door and wished to maintain her privacy. Drizzt sat near to him, curious as to his suddenly sullen demeanor. The ranger moved to sit behind him, placing his head on Hitori's thin but strong shoulder, his arms around the half drow's waist. "Where does she want to go?" Drizzt asked quietly, snuggling closer.

Hitori didn't move at all, save for taking Drizzt's hand in his own. "Home," he whispered forlornly. Drizzt shifted uncomfortably behind him, Hitori figured that Drizzt did not like the way things were going any more than he did. What would happen to Kitana, he wondered. What would this mean for the two of them?

Kitana and the others sat patiently waiting for the ship to finish boarding supplies. The demoness had not said a word to any of the others since the previous night and they were more worried than ever. Entreri in particular wondered what this could possibly mean. She was distant to all of them right now, but he felt like he was getting the worst of it. It was illogical to think that way, he knew, but at the same time he found that he could not help it. It was then he realized that he had begun to think of her as his. She was his lover, or had been; they had not slept together since the massacre in the ballroom. They had not even been in the same bed since she started having those strange dreams. All of his practicality as an assassin screamed at him to make her stop what she was doing, to disregard the dreams and make things go back to normal. Whatever that was, anyway. Things were never normal, he reminded himself, not when one was with Jarlaxle. He silently cursed the drow for having gotten him into this mess in the first place.

The captain yelled from the helm of the ship and the six companions boarded. The ship rocked violently as it pulled away from the dock, almost sending those less used to sea travel reeling off into the side of the deck. Jarlaxle and Kimmuriel narrowly avoided colliding with each other and the others did well to stifle their laughter. Entreri watched as Drizzt took up a familiar position at the bow of the ship looking out for anything that might think to attack from the front. The ship lurched forward and shuddered as it hit an uneven breaker wave, momentarily leaving the drow off balance. Hitori was beside him in a moment, chuckling softly at the short lapse; Drizzt playfully punched his shoulder. The two chose to stand together watching the water, covertly sharing a kiss while their friends were busy with themselves.

Entreri continued to observe them, hiding his amusement. "You seem unsurprised by their behavior," Kitana said, appearing seemingly out of thin air.

He turned to her, smiling, glad that she was near and speaking to him. "I'm not, really. I had a feeling he was not completely straight." Kitana nodded her agreement. "He said he watched us the last time we were in the kitchen," he continued hesitantly, not completely understanding why.

Kitana raised an eyebrow. "Did he?"

The assassin frowned slightly. "Yes... Although I am not sure why he would tell me such a thing. I find it slightly disturbing, actually. How did he see us without one of us knowing?"

"You are certain he actually watched?" Kitana asked.

"He became very embarrassed after he told me, then ran away like he could not believe what he had just said."

Kitana nodded as if she had expected his answer. "He watches you a lot. Not so much now as before, but he does still stare at you from time to time. I've caught his scent becoming aroused sometimes when he gets near you, but he was nervous as well." She sidestepped a little closer to him and Entreri wrapped his arm around her waist savoring the sensation. She allowed him to stay like that for a few minutes before she wandered off to the back of the ship.

* * *

They all met that evening in the lavishly decorated captain's quarters for dinner. Drizzt spoke first, bringing up his primary concern about the trip. "There is a storm coming at us from the northwest. It does not look like was can avoid getting caught in it." The captain merely nodded, easily accepting his word. He trusted the drow ranger's assessment of danger having heard of his exploits with the famous Captain Deudermont upon the Sea Sprite. Drizzt watched with approval as the captain ordered the crew to tie down everything in preparation for the storm. After a few hours the grueling task was completed and all but a few crew members sealed themselves below deck

The storm hit them head on and raged for several hours; no one was sure how long it actually took for it to blow itself out. Even though they had tied themselves down, many of the ship's occupants were thrown violently into the walls and each other. Several of the sailors cursed loudly, screaming as the heavy cargo was hurled past them and then narrowly missing. A large crate crashed against a support beam and shattered, spilling its treasure of expensive Moonshae painted glass in an explosion of crystalline shards. It was enough for even Jarlaxle to remain silent.

In the pale morning light the damage was made frighteningly clear to all: They had lost a good deal of cargo to the storm, there was a large hole in the port side wall, and one of the two sails needed to be replaced immediately. Everyone aboard was at least happy that not a single life was lost, though, Kimmuriel was swearing adamantly that after they finished their business of getting to where Kitana wanted, he was never getting on a ship again. Jarlaxle took special amusement in his lieutenant's discomfort and told him that it was all part of the fun of adventuring. Kimmuriel promptly met him with a disgusted scowl then ran to vomit over the remaining side rail.

Drizzt ignored the other drow in his sickness as he ran to tell the others of the captain's plans for the journey. "We will stop at a nearby island to restock our supplies," he explained. "He has asked us to get everything while he and the crew make repairs. After the ship is fixed we will return to our original course." The others just went along with it, being in no mood to object. They reached the island mid-day, left wordlessly and went about their business.

There was nothing to linger upon in the small sea town. Most of the buildings lay ravaged by frequently fierce wind and waves. A few poor, foul-smelling fishermen had thought to try and rob them of their supplies but quickly decided against that course upon seeing the large array of weapons the six companions carried. They were off again the next morning after patching up most of the ship's damage. It would be several more days until they met their destination.

* * *

Two days later Kitana sat atop the ship's highest cabin staring at the sky yet again. She felt oddly happy this night for some reason she could not explain. She was doing her best not to think on it too much, however, knowing it would likely be the last time in a long while she would feel this way.

Being on the sea gave the sky a wholly new appearance. Its typical gemstone blue was washed with a darker navy hue that was reflected in several more shades of indigo by the water. The stars gleamed orange, yellow and once in a while red as they shone serenely overhead. Kitana understood why the elves sang of their beauty, had accepted them as right, albeit a little foolish in their near-worshipful songs. Tonight she felt that feeling even more. It was keen inside her. She wondered if this was what the elven joy felt like. She felt a strange soaring of her spirit as she stared upwards. She had her own song, she knew, one in her blood.

She was singing before she realized it, her effortless soprano like a single violin on the water. The words sprang from her lips in the old language she had never been taught. She didn't care that the others were watching. She was not ashamed of her voice, surreal in its beauty. Anyone who knew her as an assassin would surely think that her voice could not possibly go with her reputation.

The others stood in the darkness cast by the cabin, watching her diligently. They were pleased that she was so happy. She deserved it after all she had been through in the last seven months. Her song, however, brought back an unpleasant memory: Kitana lying on her bedroom floor, covered in her own blood after being beaten with what they now knew was her own whip. She had known the words then while she had lain on the edge of consciousness, but had not been able to recall them later that same night or even a few days after. They were as clear now as they were then.

* * *

Hitori, on the other hand, stood away from the others watching his friend in her obvious delight of the sky. Many times before they had sat together just watching it quietly in the same admiration. He recalled the first time he had ever heard her sing; many, many years ago.

_Hitori walked slowly up the hill and away from the human village. They had admitted him grudgingly into their town but he knew that it would not last long without Kitana at his side. Thus, he had gone out looking for her hoping that they might return together and the people would stop pestering him with their biases. He cursed silently to himself. Why__ couldn't these people see that he was only half drow and nothing at all like his dark cousins? He knew __better, of course__; the only thing most people would ever see when it came to him was the dark color of his skin._

_But things were made __significantly __easier with Kitana at his side. They thought that she was a half elf, which made them both laugh. The one they accepted was the one that wasn't what they thought. Hitori let out a small chuckle at the ridiculous thought. It was true. He wondered what would happen if they found out what she really was._

_A sound caught his sharp ears from somewhere nearby. He ducked behind the closest tree and looked for the nearest way to escape if he needed to. Cautiously, he crept forward, not wanting to disturb anyone __should they want __to be alone or potentially set off something that would put him in danger. To his relief, he found that it was only Kitana, __angrily __snapping twigs for some reason he could not fathom. She sat alone of the edge of the cliff and let out a small sound that sounded almost like a huff. She fell back onto the moist grass and he heard her let out a small __gasp__, thinking that she had seen something coming at her, he too turned his attention to the sky. And then he knew. There was nothing there but the stars, and her sound had been one of delight. He smiled affectionately in her __direction, not__ quite ready to reveal his presence. Then, to his surprise, she started to sing. __Low__ at __first, like __she thought someone she didn't want to hear would. Then she relaxed and let her voice climb gracefully in a strange tongue he had never heard before. She stopped soon after reaching the crescendo of __the song; she had __not gotten through all of it. He suspected that she had not realized what she had been doing._

_He stepped out from behind the __tree, making__ a noise to alert her to his presence. She turned __immediately __to face him but had known there was no threat. She smiled at __him suddenly. She had__ never done that before, and bade him to join her. They sat there for the rest of the __night, not__ really caring about the village. They had only stopped there for Hitori, who didn't like it anyway._

Hitori's smile widened at the thought. No, he had not liked the village at all. He also remembered how glad he had been that he had chosen to take most of his things with him, including everything he had that was valuable. When they returned to the village the next afternoon, they had discovered that the villagers had burned all of the things that he had left behind.

The half drow turned to the east to determine the time. Far off in the distance, a small golden sliver was making its way into the deep navy sky. The sun would be up in an hour or so. For once he regretted that it would rise. Morning would likely bring back Kitana's usual stone face and sour mood. Once again his eyes slipped back onto his friend. She wasn't singing anymore. Now she was looking down at him from her high perch, half a smile lay teasingly on her lips. Hitori wondered if she was remembering that long-ago night as well.


	7. Interlude

A/n: A poem I had written a while I started writing chapter five. Written on Feb. 2, 2010. It decided it anted to fit in here and I didn't disagree. It is my own work, therefore I own it but if you would like to use it for something do feel free to ask.

_Void_

_We are empty; there is nothing outside us.  
A call from within beckons the eternal hate  
as it shines inside its glowing sphere._

_Hate within the deepest depths of light.  
It buries us under apathy.  
There is nothing here;  
we are but the pawns of those around us._

_I feel tensions rising as I try to escape;  
Get closer to my enemy.  
Closer to her burning soul.  
Choose a number, get in line._

_She screams...  
Her voice in the night a lone violin.  
Calling, calling, calling...  
And I cannot deny._

_Come to __me, my __dreaded Mistress,  
hold your knife high.  
A butterfly,  
and we are both flames._

_Dance, my Mistress,  
dance as you are wind.  
Your beauty saddens me,  
as we were once one._

_And I, your loyal servant,  
think not, can you see?  
A lie within withering hope.  
Hate._

_There is nothing here.  
We are only __cold-blooded __after all.  
We kill in warm blood.  
Spirits that will always die.  
_

_And we are ephemeral.  
None can truly see us but our own; not for too long.  
But I will always see you, my Mistress,  
do not think that I have forgotten._

_Sing again in your mournful chords,  
a dance unending within the boundaries of our hate.  
I know you as I once knew us all.  
There is nothing left here._


	8. Chapter 6: The Return

A/N: I HAVE RETURNED! Out of the museless darkness of which I found myself in for some reason I don't know about. I am so sorry that it took so long for me to update but I hope it was worth it. I have no idea how ling it will take me to post again, I really shouldn't even be posting this without Lola Witherbottoms checking first, but I can always fix it later. I promise, yet again, that I will do my best to deliver more FR goodness!

Disclaimer: I do not under any circumstances own Drizzt and Co. They are the property of R.A. Salvatore and apparently WotC. I don't want to steal them, I don't have any money. So let's just get on with this. Chapter finished 12/29/10 (after a ridiculously long time)

Warning: Use of things most people probably don't like. See beginning chapters for full list. It is not my fault if you get offended.

Chapter Six: The Return

The waves rolled gently over the stark white sand and caressed Kitana's booted feet as she stared off into the treeline. The cherry trees with their white-and-ash bark stood high above her head and the wind tousled the pastel blossoms out into the cerulean sea behind her. So this was home, she mused. This Isle of Ilari. She listened as the others stepped off of the small rowboat and onto the beach. Without saying a word to them she sauntered forward into the forest. There was something very familiar here, though she could not place it. A little voice called to her in the back of her mind, flashing pictures of the place she was apparently supposed to go.

In her mind, Kitana saw a clearing strewn with large rocks of some kind. A fallen structure perhaps? She could not tell for a thick layer of moss covered them. The wind rustled through the trees again, it seemed to be pushing her ahead with a flurry of pink petals. She followed it without much of a thought; the demoness was far too curious to ponder it. The island was oddly silent except for the gentle breeze. Had she been in her normal mindset, she would have taken it to mean some form of danger.

They walked in about a mile before Kitana finally stopped; they were in the clearing she had seen. She let out a small growl as she approached one of the rocks, they were giving off a strange energy she couldn't decipher. The call in her mind brought her attention to a small opening between two of the larger rocks in the clearing. An entrance, she guessed. Finally realizing that there could be some sort of trap, she plopped herself down in front of the cave and stared into it. More of the same energy came from within.

The others watched her intently as she sat staring. Her mouth slipped into an irritated frown. What was she sensing in there, Hitori asked himself. He alone understood how abnormal this was for her. Their companions would simply be unable to grasp this concept having not been around her as long as he had. He wondered again what was going on. The dreams and now this island had him more uneasy than most of his time as a pleasure slave.

The near silent footsteps of Entreri approached him and Hitori turned to face the assassin. "I don't know any more than you do," the half drow whispered, answering the unspoken question. "I wish I did, so I could stop this. This is not like her at all. Unfortunately, now all we can do is wait to see what she does." The assassin nodded and returned to sit with the others. Hitori followed suit, taking out his weatherworn book in case he would need a spell or two. He caught his own thought and shook his head in amusement with himself, the others still did not know he could do magic.

Before he was a slave, he had been one of the finest bards in the Moonshaes. Not that it had helped him any when he was captured. The ones who had taken him had protected against most of his tricks. It didn't matter, the half drow decided, maybe his magic could help them now. He began to read and memorize as many of his spells as he could.

Several hours past and Kitana still had not moved. None of the companions had anything to offer on what they should do, there was nothing they could think of. Drizzt looked over to Hitori and opened him mouth to ask a question but was cut off when the demoness stood abruptly and stomped off into the cave. The companions waited a moment, then the half drow motioned for them to follow Kitana.

* * *

The voice was getting so much louder! It was grating at her patience and she wanted to go into the cave. There was too much going on here, it couldn't possibly be a good idea. She had to wait just a little bit longer! Kitana kept telling herself this repeatedly, but it was no use, the voice would not leave her alone. It stood solid, berating her mind. Finally, even she could take no more, she stood and grudgingly entered the cave.

It looked like it was some kind of grand entry for some old building. The magical energy lined the walls in a thick haze that pulled at her clothing bidding her to go deeper into the hallway. Forward, she had to keep moving forward. What she wanted was at the end of the long hall; even in the profound darkness she could see the set of formerly ornate double doors. What had this place been, Kitana wondered. Most of the lingering magic felt protective, a temple perhaps? She slowly reached her hands up and pressed them against the doors, they loudly creaked open revealing a giant antechamber.

At the moment, the room seemed to be completely empty save for a large orange-glowing orb of some kind in the center. Everything suddenly became much colder. 'There were many dead here,' Kitana mused. Why were they there? She cautiously continued into the antechamber, scanning every inch for a hidden enemy. There was someone there, she knew; there had to be. Someone had called her here. A stray breeze tickled through her hair as if answering the thought. Kitana turned slowly back to the glowing orb. In front of it now stood the figure of a translucent woman.

The woman was clearly dead, though something else permeated from her semi-solid form. She was alive in a way Kitana could not guess. The woman smiled, seething with wicked glee. "How good of you to finally return, my queen," she purred. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever come back to our homeland." Her grin spread with wicked glee.

"Who is this queen you speak of?" Kitana demanded coldly. "I do not know you or who you have mistaken me for." Kitana's hands clenched into a tight fist; she could feel her claws starting to poke through her gloves.

"My Queen, surely you jest!" the woman laughed. "Don't say you don't remember me, I was your finest attendant. How could you forget your dear friend Jelsura?" She paused and stared into Kitana's face with pure loathing. "How could you forget that you left me here to die?" She quickly waived her hands through the air in a spell gesture Kitana could not determine; the demoness felt an ice-like force surround her. Cautiously she tried to move her body but found that she could not. The woman, Jelsura apparently, had cast a holding spell. She stood angrily rooted to the spot. Now she understood the dreams had been bait of some kind. This woman, whoever she really was had her mistaken for someone else that she wanted revenge against. But she had taken the bait, Kitana reminded herself irritably.

"This queen of yours must not have been a terribly good friend if she abandoned you." Kitana spat, knowing that she could still speak.

"How dare you speak to me as if you do not know!" Jelsura screamed. "You were the one that left me here when those despicable, ill-bred mainlanders attacked our home. You left me here to save yourself and the miserable, unborn life of the child you made with that guard! You were-" She stopped abruptly; her face changed from the angry rant to one of a deeper recognition. "The child, " she whispered. "You are the child." Her insane, high-pitched laugh once again filled the chamber. "So it is true, my Queen, you are dead. But this life you have left has grown and come back to me! Then it is this life that I shall have!" Jelsura barely noticed the double doors banging open a second time as Hitori and the others burst into the room. She casually gave a wave of her hand.

* * *

Kitana was trapped! Hitori's mind bellowed the moment he say his dearest friend and the ghost woman. He immediately began to perform a counterspell but the wave of the woman's hand froze him and the others on the spot. The half drow glared at her, daring her to come closer though he did not know what he could do. The woman ignored him and continued her grandiose speech.

"You know nothing of what happened here," she said to Kitana. "You were not yet born when they attacked out home. But I care not for technicalities, your mother was responsible for my death and the death of many others. She is dead now, but her crimes remain. You will now take her place and I will be brought back to my true life instead of this loathsome half existing form."

A deep shiver ran down Hitori's spine as the ghost woman softly caresses Kitana's face with seeming tenderness. He began desperately trying to fight the holding spell that he might remove that vile touch.

"And now you will die," she whispered almost touching Kitana's lips with her own. The ghost woman sauntered happily away and reached for her spell components in an almost childish manner. She carefully spread the reagents on the ground in front of her and her fingers traced the delicate arcane runes in the air between her and the demoness. A black dagger with a writhing purple aura sprang into existence in her hand and with the final words bursting through her lips she plunged it at Kitana's heart.

Both Hitori and Artimis managed to break the holding spell at the same moment. Each thinking the same thing, this could not happen to his Kitana. He would not allow it. Both the assassin and the half drow were thrown back by a different, unidentified source. They hit the wall hard. All of the companions looked up through squinted eyes into a bright white light emanating from the center of the room. The ghost woman let out a painful cry and then everything was silent.

Before anyone could register what happened another wave on energy pushed them into the hallway. Hitori, recognizing it as Kitana's took the hint and began to run out of the building with the others close behind him, Kitana taking up the rear to make sure they got out safely. They only stopped running when they felt the white sand of the beach under their feet, at which point every one of them fell to the ground gasping for breath.

Hitori barely realized when Kitana's small body crashed into his. Out of habit, he wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking violently, which was unusual; she was never easily shaken. She let out a little gasp and he realized that she was crying.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, "I was so stupid! I should have never brought you here! I should have listened to you when you said that this was a bad idea!" The rest of her words were lost as she buried herself into his chest.

"Don't worry about us," the half drow said to her gently. "None of us are hurt, we were more worried about you than anything. Let's just get out of here."

* * *

The rainy season was in full effect over the main island of Japan. Storm clouds rolled like a giant beast overhead, they moved on with seemingly no end. Kimmuriel had opened a portal to the outskirts of a small town Hitori told him about, they walked in the rest of the way trying to appear as inconspicuous and unthreatening as possible. Few lights were on as they made their way down the mud-soaked main street. Many doors banged closed as they passed, innkeepers telling them that they had no room for outsiders. At the very end of the street they managed to bargain their way in. The companion were given a cold mean and an even colder cellar to sleep in. Thus they were left with a mess of ragged blankets on the softest spot of floor they could find.

They wordlessly agreed that they would be better off sleeping all together. Each of the males was worried about Kitana. While she clearly meant the most to Hitori, the demoness had come to mean a considerable amount to the other four as well. Kitana had not said a word since before they left the island of her ancestors, now she lay cradled between Entreri and Hitori. One by one the companions drifted off, no one had known what to say or do otherwise.

It was well past midnight and Hitori was still awake, Kitana shifted against him to get a little more comfortable before saying what she had been thinking the entire time. "I still want to know," she whispered so only he could hear. "Even after everything that happened, I still want to know."

"I know," Hitori replied in the same hushed tone. "I can't say I blame you. But let's do it differently this time. You said that book you read placed the fall of the Ilarians at the year of your birth, that's not such a long time ago. We can look in the Vaults of Silverymoon if you like, I know Alustriel. We could even ask her to write us a letter to get us into Candlekeep. And since we're in Japan, I'm sure there's a demon or two old enough to remember what went on."

"You still want to help?" Kitana asked, not bothering to hide her surprise. But Hitori was Hitori after all, and he knew her better than anyone else. She wondered why she was even surprised. He had never once wanted to leave her even if their lives were in danger all the time and they had both nearly been killed more than once.

""Of course I do," he said with a little laugh. And I must admit, I'm curious now too. I don't think this is over. What happened anyway?"

"Do you remember when I was hired to kill that wizard about four years ago? The one that specialized in death magic?" the demoness explained. "You and one of the wizards you know spent hours looking up death ward spells and enchanted my armor. I guess the spells are still in effect."

The half drow's eyes widened in remembering, how could he have forgotten about that? Her armor had been some of his finest works of protective magic. He hadn't realized he was so worried about protecting her that he had failed to remember that she was likely to be fine. "I hadn't thought of that at all," he confessed. "But let's go to sleep, we can start looking around in the morning."


End file.
